The Iot is a train wreck if there is poor management. Choosing which items should communicate and not is where intellect,values, ethics come to bear. I think that a lack of preparation, some poor considerations for security, ethics might have led to his departure in theory. This is a lot of money to wager and countries stand to rise and fall based on their considerations for the Iot. Companies will need to be viewed as capable, responsible contributors to capitalize on this future. The Internet communication structure is central to a proper deployment of Iot technology. I too believe that the proliferation of device communication is a 'hackers dream' and not a 'customer dream' ... The customer wants some rules for the game like phones, laptops can talk to Tvs if I give them permission but x devices will never have a chance... Maybe we should make them all actually talk out loud....If devices are going to talk they have to be exchanging non-exploitable data and or be capable of protecting or forgetting it. Data use transparency may never arrive but the future of society will be depending on it. The private market has a special way of building problems in technology through diversity, freedom.

In reply to Thomas Clayburn's comment, I think he make good points about who might get the most from IoT. The reality is that there will be obvious applications that enable useful analysis to be conducted for identifying specific patterns that will help targeted groups to improve either products or provide better management services. In the engineering world they have had the use of Telemetry systems for a while to do remote monitoring of machinery out in the field. So I can imagine that through IP enabled devices the process of monitoring might potentially be cheaper. But then it will require security concerns, network bandwidth and the cost of sending traffic to be addressed and standards to be developed and widely adhered to if cost savings are going to be made.

For mass market appeal such as the connected home then the applications will need to be more intelligently thought about. What experience are we trying to offer the user needs to be a key consideration if it really is to be of any value. The examples mentioned in the article are useless. What is the use of providing shoes with sensors for everyone? What does that tell us anyway especially given that there are many reasons why someone purchases a shoe, and it isn't always about comfort (stilettoe shoes come to mind). Now it might be useful for a specific category of users e.g. those requiring orthopaedic support, then I can imagine a controlled monitoring of a selected group perhaps being useful.

AS to why Guido Jouret's departure, I am not sure one should read too much into this since it is clear that IoT offers significant potential but must be carefully crafted. He is apparantely leaving for other opportunities and may be it is just as simple as that.

The Internet of Things is a solution without a problem. Most consumer devices are not improved by being able to communicate. The data may be valuable to device makers and other companies, but most people are not going to see any meaningful benefit from a linkage between their thermostat and their washing machine. And for businesses, networking objects just magnifies security risks. Businesses already have a hard time protecting their computers. It only gets worse if they have to worry about their coffee makers as an entry point for hackers.

Maybe he left because IoT shoes and bike helments are ridiculous ideas. I can just picture myself bleeding to death on the sidewalk while an EMT fiddles with a tablet trying to download the right drivers to read the chip my bike helmet. On the plus side, the helmet can radio Foursquare to check me in as "comatose."

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